Headlines
Subscribe to our NewsletterThe new year always brings a reset - a chance to turn the page and rewrite the story. For some JCC squads, January means building on momentum from the prior year. For others, it's about course correction. As we move into 2026, the margin for error is shrinking and the league is officially in "prove it" mode with each game taking on more meaning as teams jockey for playoff seeding. The question now isn't who was good, but rather it's who's ready to be great when it matters most. And that brings us to what was a super competitive week 8 (a week where every game was decided by 5 points or less):
Shortland Blazers 53 - Ball Don't Lie 49: Coming in red-hot after scoring 90 points over his previous two games, Jakub Zabek showed no signs of slowing down, pouring in a game-high 32 points to lead Shortland. His streak of 40+ point games came to an end but 32 ain't too shabby. The only other player to score in double digits for Shortland was Shamar Mason, who provided key scoring support with 12 points. Ball Don't Lie couldn't get the same offensive spark they've relied on recently. Adam Hynes, who had been on a scoring tear of his own, was held to just 8 points (on a mere 8 shots). This can be largely attributed to the defense played by Brian Schiller. From the opening possessions, Schiller made every touch difficult by crowding passing lanes, fighting through screens and forcing Adam to work for every inch of space. His intensity set the tone and disrupted the rhythm Hynes usually plays with. Even when Hynes found ways to contribute, it came at a cost, with Schiller making him earn every bucket. That defensive effort doesn't show up in the box score, in fact if you merely looked at the box score you'd see that Schiller didn't attempt a single shot on the offensive end, but it had a huge impact on the game as it consistently has all season long for Schiller. Ball Don't Lie has made a habit of starting fast but finishing slow this season. Time and again, they jump out to early and mid-game leads by pushing the pace, sharing the ball and getting quality looks. For long stretches they look in complete control (This game wasn't quite that, though they did hold a 7 point early second half lead). But just as consistently, those leads have slipped away late. Missed box-outs, rushed possessions and defensive lapses late in games have allowed their opponents to mount comebacks and take control. Dan Amsellem delivered a strong all-around statistical game (aside from his 1/8 fts) with 13 points and 17 rebounds. Ben Carr added 13 points (5/22 shooting) as well as 7 rebounds. Drew Mandelbaum returned from his injury to give Shortland a big man presence in the lane. But in the end it was just too much of the offensive wizardry of Jakub Zabek that powered Shortland to the victory. With the win, Shortland now sits at 4-3 while the loss dropped Ball Don't lie to 3-5. These are two teams that have been heading in opposite directions in recent weeks, with Shortland having won their third game in a row while Ball Don't Lie dropped their second straight.
Going Buck 56 - Billy Hoyle 52: Going Buck held firm down the stretch to outlast Billy Hoyle, 56-52, in a tightly contested matchup that carried added significance for both teams. Billy Hoyle entered the night having dropped their previous three games, while Going Buck was looking to build momentum after recently snapping their own three-game losing streak. Going Buck controlled the action for much of the game, but Billy Hoyle showed resilience, battling back to take a 49-47 lead with just over seven minutes remaining. Refusing to let the game slip away, Going Buck answered with timely, high-pressure buckets from Captain Jon Ackerman and Will Howarth, reclaiming the lead and sealing the victory in the final minutes. Ackerman led a balanced Going Buck effort with 12 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists, while Will poured in 15 points and grabbed 7 boards. Rory Schulman added 11 points and 8 rebounds, providing consistent energy on both ends of the floor. Ben Gerstein and Jake Granoff each added 8 points in the winning effort. For Billy Hoyle, captain Siri Carpien led the way with 15 points. This is the second straight "quiet" game for Siri so I'd expect a big game soon from Siri. Pat O'Donnell turned in a strong performance with 13 points , 14 rebounds and 3 blocks. Pat continues to shine in his rookie season on both ends of the floor (he's one of two players in the top-10 in both steals and blocks per game for the season). Despite the loss, Billy Hoyle's late surge showed fight, but Going Buck's execution and composure proved decisive when it mattered most. Eddie Ford continued his strong play with 9 pts/6 rebs/4 assists and like Schiller and Pat, has been amongst the best defensive players in the league this season (also want to point out the incredible defense Will Howarth has played to go along with his stellar offense). Zach Sicherman added 8 points and 9 rebounds in the loss. The loss dropped Billy Hoyle to 2-5 on the season while the win moved Going Buck to 5-3.
We Got Game 37 - Moneyball 35: We Got Game outlasted Money Ball 37-35 in what can only be described as a full-on rock fight disguised as a basketball game. Shots were missed, more shots were missed, rims were offended and offense was bascially optional for long stretches. It wasn't pretty but it was competitive, physical and decided by just two points. It was one of those games where everyone survived even if no one enjoyed watching (or probably even playing) it. Money Ball was missing their best player and league-MVP contender, Andi Hasaj, but still managed to drag We Got Game into the mud for 48 minutes. We Got Game Captain Matt Ceccarelli paced his team with 8 points and 8 rebounds, while Omer Nimrodi also added 8 points. Ben Huber and Jake Lillie chipped in 6 points each to help lead We Got Game to victory. Scott Paer failed to score a poiint but did add 9 rebounds. For Money Ball, Captain Adam Driansky embraced the "fine, I'll do it myself" role, leading all scorers with 17 points (nearly half of his team's points), 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Herb Smith dominated the glass with 17 rebounds to go along with 6 points, plus strong defense on Matt Ceccarelli which helped ensure nobody had fun. Keeping with the theme of dominant defensive performers, shoutout to both Herb Smith and Adam Driansky, for consistently bringing defensive intensity that has helped power Money Ball to win games. Alex Schosheim added 5 points, 9 rebounds and did a little bit of everything except make the game more watchable. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't smooth. It probably shouldn't be rewatched unless you're glutton for punishment. But We Got Game walked away with the win and that's all that matters. The win moved We Got Game to 4-3 while the loss dropped Money Ball to 4-4 (and having to try and overcome the rest of January without Andi).
Laub & Order 76, Fast Break 71 (OT): Easily the game of the week, and the only one that needed overtime because regulation apparently wasn’t stressful enough. Fast Break came in riding a five-game winning streak behind reigning MVP and current MVP front-runner Jorge Mangui, and for a while it looked like consecutive win number six was inevitable. Fast Break led by as many as 17 in the second half, controlled the pace, and had Laub & Order on the ropes. Laub & Order didn’t even have second-round pick Mike Huberman, but Captain Mike Gerstein decided that detail was irrelevant. Gerstein poured in 27 points and 5 rebounds, delivering a huge second half when his team needed it most. Eric Sass was a force late as well, finishing with a ridiculous 19 points and 21 rebounds, basically owning all available real estate near the basket. Gabe Berkowitz added a steady 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, and Josh Knapp, fill-in extraordinaire, chipped in 12 points and 7 rebounds, like he’d been on the roster all season. For Fast Break, Jorge Mangui was spectacular, dropping 33 points with 17 rebounds and 4 steals, nearly willing his team to the win by himself. But Laub & Order decided to double and triple-team Jorge in the second half (learning from last week's nightmare versus Jakub), meaning others would need to chip in for Fast Break. TJ Farrell scored 14, Seth Frankel had 8, and Gary Levine did his usual blue-collar work with 8 points and 8 rebounds. However, the second half turned into a three-point reenactment of “keep shooting, eventually one has to fall,” as Seth and TJ combined to go 5-for-35 from deep for the game (yes, thirty-five). Meanwhile, Fast Break was forced to play without the services of Mike Glanzman and his absence was glaring, especially late. Graham Haskell filled in admirably with 6 points, 6 rebounds, and several bodies left behind, but the size disadvantage eventually caught up. Laub & Order closed ferociously, executed down the stretch, and finished the job in overtime, handing Fast Break a tough loss and officially stamping this one as an instant JCC classic. And since I've been calling out outstanding defenders throughout this recap, Eric Sass, Mike Glanzman and Gary Levine are all likely to appear on all-defesnsive teams at year's end. The loss dropped Fast Break to 5-2 while the win moved Laub & Order one game closer to .500 at 3-4.
Household Hoopers 60, Big Ballers 57: Household Hoopers did what they do best early: defend like maniacs. Despite missing Ed Seiden and Jonathan Roy, the Hoopers jumped out to a 28–18 halftime lead, setting the tone with relentless pressure and physical play. Mike Pollack stepped in and made sure there was no drop-off. Big Ballers welcomed back first-round pick Dave Moreno, who needed a half to knock the rust off. Moreno flipped the switch after halftime, pouring in 13 of his 17 points in the second half to spark a furious comeback. Still, it wasn’t easy sledding as leading scorer James Floyd was completely erased from the scoring column thanks to the suffocating defense of Colin Neff. Andrew Merel stuffed the stat sheet once again for Big Ballers with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals with many of them coming on his signature move: the perfectly timed strip as a player goes up to shoot. Lorne Bergstein continued his breakout season with 10 points, constant rim-to-rim energy, smooth midrange jumpers, and solid defense. He’s quietly making a very real case for Most Improved Player. Captain Bryan Minasian also delivered, scoring 10 points (including the team’s first six) and adding 8 rebounds, which is an unusually low number for him, which says more about his standards than his night. For Household Hoopers, everything starts with defense and it starts with Captain Colin Neff. The Defensive Player of the Year favorite decided to remind everyone he can score too, dropping 25 points and pulling down 15 rebounds in a dominant two-way performance. Jason Pompeo was everywhere, battling the much bigger Moreno, while scoring 17 points, hauling in 15 rebounds and anchoring the paint. Mike “The Dentist” Smulewitz drilled a huge three that felt even bigger in the moment. Cory Rothbort, fresh off the birth of his daughter Hazel, turned in his best game of the season with 6 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks including one rejection of Moreno that Hazel will definitely hear about someday. Seth Niessen chipped in 6 points, and Pollack filled in admirably on both ends. Big Ballers’ second-half surge made for a frantic, edge-of-your-seat finish, but the early deficit was too much to overcome. Late game execution sealed it for Household Hoopers, who once again proved that defense, and just enough offense (60 points was actually a season high), wins games. The win, coupled with Fast Break's loss, vaulted Household Hoopers into first place at 6-2 with a matchup against second place Fast Break (5-2) on tap tonight. The loss dropped Big Ballers to 1-6 but they've been in a lot of close games and with the return of Dave Moreno, are a much better team than their record would indicate.
Stats Leaders:
Points:
Jorge Mangui - 31.3 ppg
Jakub Zabek - 27.8 ppg
Andi Hasaj - 24 ppg
Adam Hynes - 21.6 ppg
Rebounds:
Dan Amsellem - 18.2 rpg
Bryan Minasian - 12.4 rpg
Colin Neff - 12.1 rpg
Eric Sass - 12 rpg
Assists:
Ben Carr - 5 apg
Andrew Merel - 4.8 apg
Mike Huberman/James Floyd - 4.6 apg
Steals:
Jorge Mangui - 3.28 spg
Mike Huberman - 3.2 spg
Andrew Merel - 2.33 spg
Justin Dank - 2.28 spg
Blocks (Total):
Pat O'Donnell - 14
Eric Sass - 11
Adam Driansky - 9
Alex Schosheim - 8
Three-pointers made:
Jakub Zabek - 27 (28%)
TJ Farrell - 21 (24.1%)
Jorge Mangui - 18 (35.3%)
James Floyd - 16 (26.7%)
Power rankings: I am not doing power rankings this week. There have already been games played this week (so it would be cheating) and I was unable to get the recap out quick enough. It takes a while to do the stats and also sometimes life (or a broken sewer line) get in the way of me getting stuff done.
